History
According to allpubliclibraries, Mississippi was initially colonized by the Spanish, but annexed by the United Kingdom under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. With the independence of the Thirteen Colonies, the Mississippi region became part of the newly created United States of America. The Territory of Mississippi was created in 1798, and, like the present Mississippi, it was elevated to the category of State on December 10, 1817. The Mississippi prospered economically, and was for decades one of the richest states of the country.
Mississippi separated from the United States in 1861, joining the Confederate States of America, being one of the states most affected by the American Civil War. The civil war, however, did not end the latifundista economy or the subjection of both the Afro-American population and the vast majority of landless whites. This, despite a sustained program of works and subsidies by the nation, prevented the adequate development of socioeconomic conditions until after 1960 and its socioeconomic effects can still be appreciated in the state to this day.
Races and ethnicities
The six largest groups in Mississippi by descent are: African Americans (who make up 36.2% of the state’s population), Americans (14.2%), Irish (6.9%), English (6.1%), German (6.1%) and Italians (1.42%). Mississippi also has a large French community. Until the 1940s, the majority of the Mississippi population was African-American, but since then, until the 1980s, the percentage of African-Americans in the state’s population gradually fell, due to the great migration of African Americans to the states of the United States. North. Since the 1980s, however, the percentage of African Americans in the Mississippi population has gradually increased, thanks to higher birth rates among the African American population. Currently, Mississippi has the largest African American population in the country (percent).
More than 98% of the white population of Mississippi was born in the United States, mainly of North-European descent. Most of the people of Chinese descent in Mississippi are descendants of rural workers brought in from California during the 1870s. The Chinese did not adapt well to the Mississippi farming system, so most became small traders.
Religion
In Mississippi the predominant religion is Protestant, particularly Baptists, followed by Methodists. The small Catholic population of Mississippi is concentrated mainly in urban communities and on the state’s coastline, while its small Jewish population is concentrated mainly in the large cities of the state.
Education
Schoolchildren in a Tupelo college library in 1936. The first schools in Mississippi were founded during the early 1800s.. The new state Constitution of 1869 instituted a public school system, a board of education, and made the education of the state’s children compulsory for at least four months of the year. The institution of a system of public schools – run by school districts led to the creation of taxes, which caused most of the Mississippi population to initially oppose the new measure – as the state was going through a major economic recession and faced the destruction caused by the Civil War, which had ended four years earlier, in 1865. However, as Mississippi’s economic conditions improved, the state’s public school system came to receive greater public approval. During the beginning of the 20th century, Mississippi linked several rural school districts together in an attempt to lessen the financial difficulties of such districts, which had few resources.
Currently, all educational institutions in Mississippi need to follow rules and patterns dictated by the Mississippi State Board of Education. This council directly controls the state’s public school system, which is divided into different school districts. The council is made up of nine members – five chosen by the governor, two by the Lieutenant Governor, and two by the State Legislature – for terms of up to four years in length. These nine appoint a ninth member, who will act as superintendent of education. Each primary city (city), various secondary cities (towns), and each county, is served by a school district. In cities, the responsibility for managing the public school system lies with municipal districts, while in less densely inhabited regions, This responsibility rests with the school districts, which operate throughout the county as a whole. Mississippi allows the operation of “charter schools” – independent public schools, which are not administered by school districts, but depend on public budgets for their operation. School attendance is compulsory for all children and adolescents over six years of age, until the conclusion of secondary education or up to sixteen years of age.
In 1999, Mississippi public schools served nearly 500.7 thousand students, employing approximately 30.7 thousand teachers. Private schools served about 51.4 thousand students, employing approximately 3.9 thousand teachers. The state’s public school system consumed about $ 2.29 billion, and public school spending was about $ 4,900 per student. About 81.2% of the state’s residents over the age of 25 have a high school diploma.
Infrastructure
Transportation Lounge of the Jackson – Evers International Airport, in the capital of Mississippi, Jackson. Jackson is the main road, rail and airport hub of the state, while the main port hub of Mississippi is Gulfport, located on the state’s coastline on the Gulf of Mexico. In 2002, Mississippi had 1,102 kilometers of railroad tracks. In 2003, the state had 119,260 kilometers of public roads, of which 1,539 kilometers were interstate highways, considered part of the federal highway system of the United States.
Media
The first Mississippi newspaper, the Mississippi Gazette, was first published in 1799, in Natchez. Currently, about 115 newspapers are published in the state, of which 20 are daily.
Mississippi’s first radio station was founded in 1925, in Hattiesburg. The state’s first television station was founded in 1952, in Jackson. Currently, Mississippi has 153 radio stations (of which 68 are AM and 85 are FM) and 21 television stations.
Culture
Mississippi was the birthplace of great names in the world of global entertainment, such as Oprah Winfrey or Jim Henson, and of cinema such as James Earl Jones or Morgan Freeman, it also saw the birth of writers such as William Faulkner, Tennessee Williamsor John Grisham and world-class singers such as BB King, Elvis Presley or Britney Spears.
